Separation board results

The August 18th issue of the Army Times ran a story about separation boards. Over 10,000 captains from year groups 2006 to 2008 and 8,500 majors in year groups 1999 to 2003 were considered for separation, of whom 1,188 captains (11.7%) and 550 majors (6.5%) were selected for separation.

Not all branches were affected equally -- some fields were hit harder than others. Surprisingly, electronic warfare captains were hit hardest, with 26% of that population getting pink slips.

Foreign Area Officer captains, on the other hand, were among the least affected, with only 3% getting the boot.

Two factors weighed heavily in the board's decisions. Among the 1,188 captains selected, 71% had "problem files." Apart from that, 38% had no "key developmental assignment" experience on record. (Key developmental assignments are typically company commands, although some branches accept staff time, too.)

The kinds of things that make a "problem file" can be extremely slight. One friend of mine had gotten a "fully qualified" evaluation instead of a "best qualified" one. That was the only thing against him, but apparently it was enough. It didn't matter that he was in still in company command at the time.

Without eight years of commissioned service, he'll be knocked down to staff sergeant (the rank he was at before commissioning) and get early retirement at the much reduced rate. The best bet for him to keep his rank at retirement is to find a position with the Reserves or National Guard and ride things out from there.

One curiosity about the separation board is why 9.8% of African-American majors and 20% of African-American captains were selected, compared with only 5.7% of white majors and 9.4 percent of white captains. Perhaps, like my friend, they have a "problem file," no matter how slight.

Another explanation is that this population has -- on average -- more time in service due to a higher percentage with prior enlisted time. If that's the case, it would seem the board is thinking with its pocket book more than affirmative action or racial balance.

My year group was not considered in this board, but that doesn't mean it's OK to slack off. My time will come soon.